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Alyss Mainwaring
Alyss Mainwaring is an Araluen and former ward mate of Will Treaty and Horace. As a young child she was orphaned and sent to live in Castle Redmont; she was the first ward, Will being the second. She is, therefore, one of Will's oldest and best friends. In The Ruins of Gorlan she was accepted by Lady Pauline to be a Diplomat. She appears in the first, second, fifth, and sixth books as a King's Courier. History Alyss is an orphan, having been raised in the ward in Redmont castle. She later becomes a Courier trainee, then a diplomat, soon becoming very experienced and taking after her mentor Lady Pauline. She trains to be a courier throughout the first few books in the series, taking on her first mission by herself in the Burning Bridge, which doesn't go as planned due to the knight (who has been refusing to comply with a treaty signed between himself and Redmont Castle) insulting her, Pauline and Baron Arald. This episode ends with the knight being thrown from the window by Halt who had been accompanying her. Alyss plays a larger part in books five and six, traveling under the disguise of Lady Gwendolyn to Castle Macindaw to act as Will's contact. She is captured though and Will eventually rescues her, leading an attack on the castle. The two then realise that they love one another. In the Emperor of Nihon-Ja she and Will get engaged, Will proposing in a clumsy way which Alyss pretends to be mad at. The Ruins of Gorlan This is the first book Alyss appears in. She was raised as an orphan in Redmont and is one of the wards who have been there the longest along with Horace and Will. Alyss first appears trying to encourage Will to eat something but he is unable to being so nervous. Alyss then tries to settle the dispute between Horace and Will, but Will runs off. Alyss goes after him but is unable to find him. On their Choosing Day, Alyss puts herself forward to be a diplomat, apprenticed to Lady Pauline, and she is immediately accepted. The two had talked together prior to the day and Lady Pauline had already decided to give Alyss the position, recognising the girls worth as a diplomat. At the end of the book her relationship with Will deepens as she tells him how proud she is of him after he kills the Kalkara following a dinner celebrating Will's victory. She gives him a soft kiss on the lips. The Burning Bridge In The Burning Bridge, Alyss is sent on her first diplomatic mission as a Courier. She is escorted by Halt because Will is far away in Celtica on a mission of his own. Halt was also assigned to the task as he is a close friend of Lady Pauline, the head of Redmont Fiefs Diplomatic Corps. Alyss' mission was to send a message to Cobram Keep about the false reading of a treaty that lead to the Keep's refusal to make alliance with Castle Redmont, even though it is inside the boundaries of Redmont Fief. Along the way, Alyss attempts to cheer Halt up, but Halt is reluctant to part with his grim countenance. Upon reaching the keep, they are greeted by a snooty secretary and an overlord named Sir Montague who is no better. Sir Montague is a fop in both Alyss and Halts' point of view, meaning he takes great measures to ensure that his phyisical appearence is noticed and awed by others. To fit this description, he wears a gold satin shirt and a powdered wig. They are off to a rocky start when he says that Alyss slammed her credentials on the desk too hard. Sir Montague is boisterous at the time, and cannot see their point of view. In addition, he needs to be constantly reminded by Halt that he should not call Alyss sweetheart. On top of that he calls Baron Arald "fat", and proves to be offensive by describing Lady Pauline as a "sour-faced shrew who should have gotten married and raised a brood of squalling babies years ago, surely there would have been a half-blind and deaf man who would have taken her," which Halt and Alyss cannot stand. Alyss, however, gets no better treatment as she is told to "leave that sour-faced Lady Pauline, get a husband and learn to cook, because that's all you're good for." His final crime is the destruction of Alyss's credentials, a crime which warrents a jail term, and Halt grabs Montague by his satin collar and hurls him out a window where he lands in his own moat. In the end he does sign an acceptance of alliance to Redmont. On the way back Alyss gives Halt a kiss on the cheek and says it's for Will. Halt replies by saying,"You won't mind if I don't pass it on in person" and Alyss gives him another kiss saying "and that's for you, you jaded, old, bad-tempered Ranger." Halt had previously described himself in this manner, and Alyss saw an opportunity to tease him about his word choice. At the end of their journey, Halt realizes what a good influence Alyss has been on him, and unwillingly accepts the fact that enjoys being around young people. The Sorcerer in the North In The Sorcerer in the North she travels to the fief in which Will is posted, saying that she's there just on a routine Courier's mission. However, she later reveals to Will in the evening that she is really there to give him instructions to go to the Ranger Gathering grounds where Halt and Crowley have a mission for him. Will suddenly realises that someone is trying to get into the cabin where the two are sat. Alyss pretends to be talking to Will whilst the Ranger walks quietly over to the door and throws it open to reveal John Buttle, a local thug who had injued Shadow, Will's dog. Alyss distracts him using her dagger and Will knocks the man unconscious swiftly and ties him up. Alyss suggests that they may have to kill him as he has overheard their conversation, but Will comes up with another idea, giving him to the Skandians as a slave. This they do. Alyss then leaves, the two parting with a gentle kiss. She later poses as the gormless Lady Gwendolyn on her way to her fiancee's castle and is Will's contact after he is sent to Norgate Fief in disguise as a jongleur. She manages to talk to Will by asking Sire Keren to allow Will (still under the guise of a jongleur) to sing for her. One of Alyss' "servants" then manages to imitate Will's exact playing style leaving Will free to talk with Alyss. Her disguise, however is penetrated later when John Buttle, who has escaped from the Skandian wolfship, recognizes her. She is imprisoned in the tower in the castle by Sir Keren. Keren then later interogates her using a crystal to hypotize her so he can find out who Will and she are and what they are planning. Alyss initially is able to resist his attmepts but later succumbs Will launches a rescue attempt, climbing up the walls of the tower where Alyss is imprisoned and taking the window bars off using a special acid. He tells Alyss to climb from the window and get down using a rope but before she can Keren arrives and Will is forced to leave and climb down the rope without his friend. Keren hypnotizes Alyss again and unable to resist she tells him what Will is doing. Keren slices through the rope but thankfuly, Will has already climbed off it. Alyss faints due to the turmoil in her mind so Keren is unable to interogate her further. The Ranger retreats back to the forest to rethink his plan. The Siege of Macindaw In The Siege of Macindaw, she is captured by Sir Keren and imprisoned in a high tower, in Castle Macindaw, where she is subjected to a form of mind control based on a blue stone. It is also noted that Alyss is afraid of heights. At the end of the book she is almost made to kill Will with hypnosis but Will breaks the hold over her by saying: "I love you." After her hold was broken, Alyss had several spasms, then was told to run by Will. As she was running, she grabbed the vial of acid that Will used to burn through the bars and threw it on Keren's face. Keren lost his balance and fell on the bars, which broke from previous corrosion, falling to his doom. At first she cannot remember what he said, but at the very end of the book she writes to him to say that she loves him back. Will immediately leaves Seacliff Fief to see her and tell her he loves her in return. Erak's Ransom In Erak's Ransom Alyss is Lady Pauline's bridesmaid during her and Halt's wedding. She is a joint bridesmaid with Jenny and wears a light-coloured blue dress. When the time comes for the Bridal Dance, Will panics a little, not realising earlier that he has to take to the floor and dance with Alyss. The courier then tries to teach him to dance but isn't all that succesful. The two leave the floor when Alyss spots Svengal, who comes charging through the door with news that Erak has been captured. She stays behind at Redmont when Will leaves for Arridi with Gilan, Halt, Cassandra, Horace and the Skandians. Though slightly sad at staying behind and letting Will go off with Cassandra, she is quickly comforted by Pauline. The Emperor of Nihon-Ja In The Emperor of Nihon-Ja she, Halt and Will are in Toscana with Selethen, overseeing a treaty that is being forged between Arridi and that country. She is startled and a little annoyed when Evanlyn turns up as she is jealous of her realationship with Will. She agrees to go with Evanlyn, Halt and Will to Nihon-Ja to help Horace and George, revealing that she knows the language of Nihon-Ja which proves useful. On board the ship out at sea, things become tense at times between the two girls, esspecially during their sparring sessions. In Nihon-Ja Alyss cuts her hair and dyes it black, to Will's astonishment, in an effort to blend in more with the inhabitants of that country as they are somewhat hostile to foreigners or gaijin as they are referred to. She later travels with Evanlyn across the Great Lake in northern Nihon-Ja to enlist help from a group of legendary warriors that live on its far side. They travel across by kayak and though the atmosphere between them is often tense they start to thaw to one another. When the two girls meet with the man who is in charge of the warriors, and also loyal surporter of Emperor Shigeru, he tells them he is unable to enlist the men to help. When Alyss and Evanlyn inquire as to why they discover that the forest through which the men would have to travel to get to Ran-Koshi is inhabitated by a man-eating creature called the Terror. Alyss and Evanlyn, seeing there is no other way, agree to kill it and then the army is free to march to Shigeru's aid. Together they set up a trap for the creature. Alyss stays on the ground whilst Evanlyn locates herself on an outcrop with her sling. The Terror suddenly attacks almost out of nowhere. Evanlyn injures him badly with a few shots from her sling and Alyss, using a technique the Arridi use, slashes at the Terror's stomach and with Evanlyn, kills it. The Terror is revealed to be a giant Snow Tiger. Later, Evanlyn and Alyss finally resolve their differences to one another and become firm friends, Evanlyn asking her to be her bridesmaid at her and Horace's future wedding. At the end of the book Will asks her to marry him after Horace proposes to Evanlyn. He does this badly by asking "Do you think we should try that?" Alyss marches away in mock indignation but she has a big smile on her face, unbeknownst to him. The Lost Stories Alyss appears in several stories in The Lost Stories: The Roamers, The Bridal Dance and And About Time Too . . . 'Death of a Hero' Alyss is mentioned briefly in this story as Halt is wondering what he should do with the recently-orphaned Will. 'The Roamers' In the Roamers, Alyss was looking after Ebony, Will's dog, whilst he and Halt were away on a mission. When the two come back Alyss comes riding up to meet them, she tells Will that Ebony has been taken away, presumably by a band of travelers called the Roamers who had been staying nearby. They both quickly set out after the travelers under the guise of brother and sister. After tracking down the Roamers, Will prepares to set out on a nightime mission to find Ebony. Alyss accompanies Will. At first, he is unhappy with the decision, but the Courier soon changes his mind for him. The two set off together and eventually come to the camp, in which she disguises herself as a woman named Hilde while the real person escaped. 'The Bridal Dance' In this story Alyss is bridesmaid to Evanlyn at her and Horace's wedding. She wears a dress, made in the Courier style, and Will notices how beautiful she looks (not for the first time, nor the last). The next day, after Will has foiled the Genovesan's plot to kill Cassandra Alyss takes him aside and mentions how he missed dancing with her at Pauline and Halt's wedding then how he almost missed dancing with her at this wedding before finishing off by saying "You'd better be there out ours." 'And About Time Too...' Alyss and Will finally get married at a small ceremony surrounded by close friends. Cassandra is the maid of honor and Horace the best man. Alyss is given away by Halt, showing how he has become a sort-of father-like figure to the two young adults. Baron Arald preforms the ceremony, marrying the couple. Description Alyss is described as being very beautiful with grey eyes, ash blonde hair which frames her face and a firm chin, she is also quite tall for a girl which can lead to a few problems, such as when John Buttle uncovered her disguise in the Sorcerer in the North after noting her height. She is loyal to her friends and at heart a great Diplomat and is said to be like a young version of Lady Pauline. Personality Alyss is a determined character and a diplomat at heart, capable of easily breaking up arguments and approaching things with a level and calm head. Occasionally, though, this bearing may slip and tension emerge. This is shown between her and Cassandra when the two clashed, but it was soon resolved over the course of the Emperor of Nihon-Ja. Alyss is a natural choice for a diplomat, shown many times throughout the series. She has learnt a lot from Pauline who has become a mother-like figure to her. Skills *'Diplomat' - as a diplomat Alyss is a natural thus proving very talented at it. She takes after her mentor in manner and diplomacy. *'Linguist' - as a linguist Alyss is quite versatile, knowing Gallican and Nihon-Jan as well as presumably other languages. *'Fighting' - Alyss is reasonably talented as a fighter, though not exactly amazing. She carries around a dagger and is quite good at fighting with her saber, being quite coordinated with her strikes and parries. She can also use lightweight javelins and is able to defend herself in mild form of unarmed combat. *'Disguise '- Alyss is excellent at assuming disguises, first shown in the Sorcerer in the North where she becomes Lady Gwendolyn, copying her mannerisms. She demonstrates this again the Emperor of Nihon-Ja, dying her skin a darker colour and coloring her hair black so that she blends in with the locals better. In the Lost Stories: The Roamers she pretends to be an old woman called Hilde who works in the Roamers camp. The disguise is so good that Will is astonished. Relationships *'Will - '''She and Will have been friends since childhood, and develop a deep bond, sharing their first kiss in ''the Ruins of Gorlan. After the Battle for Skandia the two become closer, Alyss sensing that Will needs someone by his side after the events at Castle Araluen. They confess that they love one another after initially being unsure where their relationship stood with regard to one another in the Siege of Macindaw and their relationship becomes more romantic. In The Emperor of Nihon-Ja, Will proposes to her and she accepts though at first acts indignant at Will's very clumsy proposal. They are married in the short story And About Time Too . . . in the Lost Stories. *'Evanlyn/Cassandra - '''Alyss initially was very hostile toward Evanlyn in jealousy over Will, despite the fact Evanlyn never liked Will romantically. Later, when Alyss realizes this, she starts anew with Evanlyn and apologizes for her previous behavior. *'Horace''' - Horace is like a brother to Alyss and both get along very well. Alyss figures out that he is in love with Cassandra during the Emperor of Nihon-Ja and is delighted when the two become engaged and marry. In turn Horace, realised that she and Will were in love with one another during the events of books five and six but was unsure how to bring the two together. He does, albeit in a roundabout way at the end of the Siege of Macindaw by encouraging Alyss to write to Will expalining how she really feels about him. *'Halt - '''She gets along well with Halt, being one of the few people capable of drawing a smile from the Ranger easily, and Halt looks upon her as a daughter. He approves highly of her and Will's relationship and gives the bride away at her and Will's wedding in ''And About Time Too... O'ther Names' *Aryss-san ( Called by the Nihon-Ja) *''Tsuru (Nihon-jan ''for "crane",) *Lady Gwendolyn (was her cover in Sorcerer in the North) Category:Diplomat Category:The Ruins of Gorlan characters Category:The Burning Bridge characters Category:Erak's Ransom characters Category:The Kings of Clonmel characters Category:The Sorcerer in the North characters Category:Protagonists Category:Halt's Peril characters Category:Females Category:The Emperor of Nihon-Ja Characters Category:Characters Category:Main Characters Category:Humans Category:The Lost Stories Characters Category:The Roamers Characters Category:The Bridal Dance Characters Category:Articles needing Improvement Category:Araluans Category:Wards Category:The Siege of Macindaw Characters Category:And About Time, Too... Characters